Unlocking Calm: Navigating Your Nervous System with Polyvagal Theory
When anxiety takes hold, it’s not just a stream of racing thoughts; it’s a tight chest, a pounding heart, and a stomach in knots. When depression or trauma overwhelm you, it can feel like a profound physical shutdown, leaving you numb and disconnected. This is because your mental and emotional well-being are not separate from your physical body—they are deeply intertwined through your nervous system.
Polyvagal Theory offers us a powerful guidebook to understanding this mind-body connection. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, it's a revolutionary way to understand our automatic responses to safety and danger, and, most importantly, how to guide our nervous system back to a state of calm.
The Three States of Your Nervous System
Polyvagal Theory centers on the Vagus nerve, which is a major highway of communication between your brain and your body. This theory identifies three primary states your nervous system can be in, each with a unique set of responses:
1. The Ventral Vagal State (The "Safe and Social" State) 🧘♀️
This is your optimal state of regulation. When you are in the Ventral Vagal state, you feel safe, connected, and at ease. Your heart rate is calm, your breathing is deep, and you are capable of engaging in meaningful social connection, creative thinking, and restful relaxation. It's the state of feeling calm and grounded in the here and now.
2. The Sympathetic State (The "Fight or Flight" State) 🏃♀️
This is your body's alarm system. When your nervous system perceives a threat—real or imagined—it moves into the Sympathetic state. Adrenaline and cortisol surge, your heart rate accelerates, muscles tense, and your focus narrows to survival. This is the state of anxiety, panic, anger, and hypervigilance.
3. The Dorsal Vagal State (The "Freeze" or "Shutdown" State) 🧊
This is your most primitive defense mechanism. When a threat is perceived as too overwhelming to fight or flee, the nervous system engages a powerful "shutdown" response. In the Dorsal Vagal state, you may feel numb, disconnected, hopeless, or even derealized. It’s an instinctual "playing dead" response designed to conserve energy and minimize pain.
Why This Theory Is So Important for Mental Wellness
Polyvagal Theory reframes mental health symptoms not as character flaws, but as intelligent, though often outdated, survival responses. Your anxiety, social withdrawal, or feelings of numbness are not a failure on your part; they are signals that your nervous system is stuck in a protective state. The theory introduces the concept of Neuroception—the unconscious way your nervous system is constantly scanning the environment for cues of safety or danger. Past trauma can skew this process, causing your system to perceive danger even when you are physically safe.
Practical Tools for Nervous System Regulation
The good news is that you have the power to guide your nervous system. These evidence-based practices are designed to help you move out of dysregulated states and back into a feeling of safety and calm.
To Shift Out of a Sympathetic ("Fight or Flight") State:
Breathing: Focus on a long, slow exhale. This is the most direct way to signal safety to your nervous system. Try the 4-7-8 method (inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8).
Vocalization: Humming, singing, or chanting creates vibrations that stimulate the Vagus nerve, promoting a sense of calm.
Physical Release: Shake out your hands, stomp your feet, or engage in gentle, rhythmic exercise like walking to release the excess energy and adrenaline.
Temperature Change: A quick, safe change in temperature, like holding a cold object, splashing cold water on your face, or placing an ice cube on your neck can interrupt the emotional spiral and activate the "rest and digest" response.
Orienting: Look around the room and intentionally notice your surroundings. Identify objects, colors, and sounds to bring your awareness out of your internal state and into the present moment.
To Shift Out of a Dorsal Vagal ("Freeze") State:
Safe Movement: Gentle, self-soothing movements like rocking, swaying, or slow stretches can help your nervous system "thaw" from shutdown.
Sensory Input: Use grounding techniques to re-engage with your body and the present moment. Try holding a cold object, wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, or focusing on a soothing scent.
Co-regulation: The safe, gentle presence of a trusted person can be profoundly healing. Holding hands or receiving a hug from a loved one signals that you are not alone and can safely re-engage.
Engage Your Senses Intentionally: Chew gum or eat a small, flavorful snack. The actions of chewing and tasting stimulate the Vagus nerve, helping to bring you out of a disengaged state.
The Role of Therapy in Healing
While these tools are powerful, a therapist provides a crucial, consistent relationship that helps you understand your unique nervous system. In therapy, we work together to:
Identify your nervous system's triggers and patterns.
Heal the underlying trauma that may have skewed your Neuroception.
Provide a safe space for co-regulation, where your nervous system can learn to feel safe in the presence of another, which is a core part of healing from attachment wounds.
At Summit Mental Wellness, my trauma-informed approach is grounded in the understanding that true healing happens when both the mind and body are supported. You have the power to break free from these survival responses and find your path to lasting calm and well-being.
